2015 Mock Trial Competition Deadline Ahead

Teachers, this is your chance to be part of the largest high school mock trial program in the nation.  The registration deadline for teams and participants is December 5.

The Ohio Center for Law-Related Education is gearing up for the new school year, which means it’s time for the 2015 Mock Trial Competition. The competition allows students to assume the roles of attorneys and witnesses as they learn about the constitution and their rights as citizens. Many students “catch the spark” in this program and later become lawyers.  For instance, my son, Judge Joshua Lanzinger of the Toledo Municipal Court, is just one example of a former high school participant.

Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor supports teacher and student participation in the competition. She and Ohio State Bar Association President Martin Mohler talk about this year’s mock trial case.

High School Mock Trial 2015 Competition dates:

·         District Competitions:  Friday, January 30, 2015

·         Regional Competitions:  Friday, February 20, 2015

·         State Competition:  Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, March 12 – 14, 2015

 

For more information about becoming involved with the Ohio High School Mock Trial program, please contact Priya Sonty: psonty@oclre.org, 614-485-3507.

Don’t miss this great opportunity – act by December 5!

Teachers: Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and iCivics Need You – Hurry

Do your students like video games? Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and the iCivics team are recruiting 30 teachers or up to 1,200 students for a pilot program to test a popular game called Argument Wars. The program will help create assessments to go with the games.

 

The pilot program will be limited, so apply quickly. The teachers and students need to be in 5-10th grades and have access to computers between September 29 and October 24.

 

What you get for participating:
·         Access to reports of how your students performed in the game
·         A certificate of participation from iCivics

Your students will also learn about landmark Supreme Court cases.

Interested? Contact Alison Atwater for more information. Alison.atwater@icivics.org.

 

Ohio Participates in Constitution and Citizenship Days

Ohio will be one of 20 states participating in a first-ever nationally coordinated naturalization ceremony on September 17 and 18 to celebrate Constitution Day and Citizenship Day.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland will host the event in Ohio and Chief Judge Solomon Oliver, Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio will lead the ceremony, which honors America’s newest citizens.

In all, 24 ceremonies across the country will be held during the two-day affair.

Judges in School

While students may think they are the only ones who hit the books every fall, judges regularly attend classes, too.  Here in Ohio, judges belong to their associations – municipal and county court, probate, domestic relations, juvenile, and appellate judges – and all have special groups that regularly present courses helpful to their work.

In addition, twice a year the Ohio Judicial Conference gathers all judges together and provides programs of interest to them. The fall program this year included updates in state case law and legislative developments, programs on court technology, information on the use of specially trained courthouse facility dogs, and a two-hour session with recent information on drug abuse.

 

While attorneys must attend 24 hours of course work biennially, judges currently need 40 hours.   Some judges have been to the National Judicial College and all judges regularly participate in continuing legal education offered by the Ohio Judicial College. Learning is life-long, and is an important part of a legal professional's occupation.